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Do you want to be more successful with fly fishing? Would you like to catch more fish? Not only the thrill of the catch but also knowing that you have mastered the techniques of fly fishing can be satisfying. In this article, we share fly fishing tips to help you be more successful with fly fishing.
Fly Fishing Tips
1. Walk Gently & Quietly
It is often overlooked but don’t approach the bank of the water walking as you do every day. Many fish love to hang around the banks of the lakes and ponds. They will feel the vibration from your movement and get spooked. Don’t drop any bag onto the ground as the impact will also be felt by the fish. Move gently and quietly as much as you can. If you want to learn how to fish a pond, click on this link.
2. Static Fishing Trick
There are times when no matter what you do, you won’t get a bite. This usually happens when the temperature is really warm or cold. In this scenario, you can go static with your flies. Sometimes this trick is what works and you finally get a bite.
3. Leader Knots
Monitor your leader regularly for wind knots. These wind knots are the result of tailing loops when you cast. They can minimize the strength of your line even though they seem insignificant. If your line has wind knots, you will need to change your line or lose any fish you get.
4. Sharp Hooks
You need sharp hooks. Don’t keep fishing with your hooks when they get dull. This will cause you to lose fish. Get a hook sharpener and check your hooks regularly. When they become dull, sharpen them.
5. Don’t Fish Dry
It is not a good practice to leave the dries in the same place for a long time. Instead, cast out the flies, count to 10, and then re-cast to an entirely new position if they have not been taken.
6. Study The Water
Discipline yourself to study the water when you go fishing. Don’t just get to the bank and start casting. Instead, study the water currents and read the stream. When you study the water, you will figure out where the fish are most likely to be and where they are not.
7. Don’t Be Stagnant
Don’t just remain in one place for a protracted period of time. Instead, move around the water casting different sections of the water. This will increase your chances of finding the fish. Move around every 10 minutes.
8. Experiment With Colors
To find the right color of fly to use, you will have to experiment. You can start with a dark color fly and work your way to light flies. You continue the trial and error method until you get to the bright colors and find what works.
9. Use Different Lines
Don’t just use one line all day. The floating line can be used successfully to catch fish all day. However, if the fish go deep, you will need a different line, like a weighted fly, to get to the fish.
10. Polarized Sunglasses
If you noticed many anglers wear sunglasses when they fish, it’s not that they want to look cool. Instead, polarized sunglasses protect your eyes. Moreover, they enhance your vision so you can see the fish.
11. Don’t False Cast
Don’t false cast too much. False casting is when you are just going back to cast and forecast endlessly. You want to avoid it as much as possible as you can easily mess up a cast and also wear yourself out.
12. What Are Trout Eating
When you go fly fishing, observe the water to find out what are the preys that the trout are feeding on. Do you see bugs floating on the water? Look closely at the rocks, pick some up and look for bug eggs in the dirt. Look for spider webs and see the insects they caught.
If the trout are not hitting you flies on top of the water, change it to what you observed as prey around the water. Another way to find out is to ask other anglers what they are using or stop at a local tackle shop and find out from the people there.
13. Practice Casting
This is often overlooked but you need to practice your casting. There will always be people who will play down practicing your casting, but you need to ignore them. Good casters catch more fish than poor casters. Investing time in practicing casting will be rewarding in the long run.
14. Fish Deeper With The Sun Up
When the sun comes out, change and fish deeper because the trout will seek deeper waters where there is less light. If you don’t go deeper, the trout will miss your flies.
15. Downscale Fly Size
If the fish are not responding to your flies, a good tactic is to scale down your fly size. If your flies are in the range of size 8, 10, or 12, scale down to 14, 16 or 18 nymph or dry.
Fly Fishing Gear
Fly fishing gear is not the same as gear for traditional fishing.
1. Rods
Fly fishing rods are longer and more flexible than regular fishing rods.
2. Hip Waders
Hip waders allow you to fish streams, creeks, and other bodies of water and yet be comfortable.
3. Reels
The reels must match the setup of your rod. There are combo packs that eliminate the need to order separate pieces and worry about them matching.
4. Line
The line is brightly colored and is the heavier weight line that provides the weight when casting.
Types Of Flies
1. Wet Flies
Many anglers begin fly fishing using wet flies. Some are nymphs like the pheasant tail, prince, and Copper John.
2. Dry Flies
Dry flies are used in summer.
3. Dry Droppers
Dry droppers are a combination of wet and dry flies. If you are not sure what the trout are eating or you are exploring a new lake, the dry dropper is what you want to use.
The Bottom Line
Fly fishing can be peaceful as well as exciting and challenging. It is not difficult to get a grasp of. In this article, we have discussed fly fishing tips to help you catch more fish on your fishing expeditions. If you also fish for bass, this article on bass fishing tips shares some tips on bass fishing.
